'Travel Detective' premieres Jan. 6 on public TV

A popular public TV show called The Travel Detective will begin airing soon in the Tri-Cities, giving would-be travelers some valuable information about visiting places far and wide.

The half-hour show debuts on KTNW at 11:30 p.m. Jan. 6 and 4:30 a.m. Jan. 12. It will continue on a weekly basis, though day and time have not been determined.

The star of the show, Peter Greenberg, is a multiple Emmy-winning investigative reporter and producer. But he's also a New York fireman and one of the hottest travel gurus in the country.

Greenberg doesn't just offer advice about cool places to visit. He also talks straight about the good, bad and ugly of frequent flyer programs, how to handle lost luggage problems and exotic places to avoid.

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He seeks to empower travelers with all kinds of news, must-have information and insider tips when visiting countries around the world, he told the Herald in a recent phone interview.

"Most travel shows focus on promoting places, which is not always helpful to people," Greenberg said. "I talk about what airlines are good and those not so good, what cruise ships are floating fire traps and which ones have the best safety measures in place."

Other travel tips include five of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., ways to save on hotel rooms, the worst travel agent tips, how to confront annoying airline passengers, unique travel ideas for London, deals and discounts, and RVing across Australia.

Greenberg said travel remains the largest industry on the planet, despite the unrest in some parts of the world.

"It's in our cultural DNA to travel," he said. "I learn all the time, everywhere I go, and have to adjust to plans not always working out."

He finds he has a better time somewhere when those original plans fall through and he switches to plan B or C. Always be prepared for anything, he said.

Greenberg, 63, is a free spirit who credits his parents for his passion.

"I was blessed with parents who liked to travel and believed it was a time for learning," he said.

He has called Fire Island, N.Y., home since he was 18 years old and joined the fire department. He's still a firefighter there three days a week.

Greenberg has visited 151 of the world's 197 countries during the past two decades, from the Far East to Europe and across the United States, he said.

"I'll even have some tips about your area, the Tri-Cities," he said.

Greenberg doesn't claim to have any favorite countries, but admits there are a few places where he sleeps the best.

Greenberg is also producer and co-host of the ongoing PBS series The Royal Tour, which features personal, one-on-one visits with world leaders like the king of Jordan, prime minister of New Zealand and presidents of Mexico and Peru.

His other TV projects include creator, co-executive producer and host of CNBC's specials Inside American Airlines: A Week in the Life and Cruise Inc.: Big Money on the High Seas. He also was co-executive producer of Baggage Battles on the Travel Channel, and Lost Magic Decoded on the History Channel.